Students in Howard Payne University’s Trial Advocacy program, comprising Moot Court and Mock Trial teams, earned honors in competition against students from across the U.S. in a wide range of events during the 2023-2024 academic year. The program is under the direction of Kenan Boland, assistant professor of government, and is part of the Experiential Learning program offered through HPU’s Guy D. Newman Honors Academy.
In Moot Court competitions, students are given a problem with constitutional issues to determine. This year’s two topics were the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment and the right to privacy as it relates to contraception. Students must read a total of 20 instances of relevant case law, develop constitutional arguments and argue before a panel of judges in an arrangement similar to a Supreme Court case, in which judges ask the competitors direct legal questions.
Fall events for HPU’s Moot Court team included a competition at Colorado Christian University and the American Moot Court Association Regional Tournament at the Texas A&M School of Law. At the Colorado event, four HPU students reached the octo-finals (top 16): Cyah Daniel, a senior global political studies major from College Station; Mo Goff, a senior jurisprudence and Honors Academy major from Brownwood; Alli Harvey, a junior jurisprudence and Honors Academy major from Lookeba, Oklahoma; and Amber Williams, a junior jurisprudence and Honors Academy major from Liberty Hill. At Texas A&M, Harvey was named the 14th place individual speaker out of a field of 60 competitors, while Daniel and Goff again reached the octo-finals.
In Mock Trial competitions, students are given a mock criminal case to prosecute and defend. This year, the fictional crime was an art heist with two possible defendants – one who allegedly took part in the actual burglary and another who was the supposed mastermind behind the scheme. The students portrayed the attorneys and the witnesses for both sides of the case, presenting opening statements, questioning witnesses and presenting closing arguments, and following the rules of evidence.
HPU’s Mock Trial team for 2023-2024 consists of Edie Brimer, a junior elementary education and Honors Academy major from Rising Star; Madison Clayton, a junior criminal justice, psychology and Honors Academy major from Terrell; Nicole de la Houssaye, a junior psychology and Honors Academy major from Cleveland, Texas; Madeline Duncan, a freshman psychology and Honors Academy major from Abilene; team captain Charis Mayton, a junior psychology and Honors Academy major from Buena Vista, Colorado; and Katelynn Turner, a sophomore history and Honors Academy major from Katy.
Fall events for HPU’s Mock Trial team included competitions at the University of San Diego School of Law and Baylor University. In San Diego, de la Houssaye scored 20 out of 20 and was named Outstanding Witness, while the team received an Honorable Mention team award.
At this spring’s American Mock Trial Association Regional Tournament at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman, Oklahoma, the team won two rounds against competition from across the country and was named runner-up for the Spirit of AMTA Award, a leadership and sportsmanship award given to teams that represent the best aspects of competition and fair play and voted on by the tournament’s competing teams. HPU won the award in 2023, and this year received the same number of votes as the winning team but lost the coin toss to decide the winner.
“The Howard Payne students involved in Moot Court and Mock Trial worked very hard this year,” Kenan Boland said. “In all of these competitions, we are going against schools from all across the country regardless of the size. Our teams improved every time they went out to compete. It is not easy to put yourself out there and prepare a full trial or come up with complex legal arguments, but all of these students went into each round of competition determined to do their best. I am proud of everyone involved and I look forward to improving next year as well.”
HPU’s Trial Advocacy program will be offered again by HPU in the fall 2024 semester for any students who are interested. Moot Court and Mock Trial teams will again travel to competitions in Texas and other states. Students are not required to be majors in the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy or the pre-law program. Scholarships are available to participating students.
For more information about Trial Advocacy at HPU, please contact Kenan Boland at kboland@hputx.edu.